Endless Firefly
by Neko-Tenchi
Summary: In the years following the defeat of Asakura Hao, Yoh, Anna and their child are on the run from their family, to protect their daughter from Hao's legacy. But when a mysterious mask traps and catapults her 1500 years into the past of the Original Hao, she finds herself seeking help from the most dangerous shaman in history to return home.


**Prologue**

_Yoh took in a deep breath as the furioku of all his friends and companions, all the people who believed in his filled him to his core, he was now stronger then he'd even been before, he felt like he had the worlds furioku stored inside, was this how Hao felt?_

_He opened his eyes, he was ready. He faced Hao, his twin and ancestor Asakura Hao, one of the most powerful Shaman in history, his guardian ghost the Spirit of Fire glowed gold as it merged with the king of spirits. He too was not at his strongest, but Yoh couldn't afford to lose, not now. He had to win, he had to defeat him and put a stop to his plan to destroy humankind once and for all._

_Hao glared at him with mocking humour and a face completely identical to Yoh's, his poncho blown backwards from the force of their blows. But it seemed like every attack was futile, Hao just wacked it away like he was nothing more than an insignificant fly._

"It's a girl" the midwife called as she cut the cord and wrapped the screaming bundle in blankets and placed her in the arms of the dazed father "It's a girl" he repeated.

The little girl in his arms clamed as she sensed her father's presence, Yoh pulled back the blankets.

"A girl, it was supposed to be a boy" Anna panted from the futon. Yoh smiled good naturedly at his wife "Aww Anna, you know you're just as happy as I am, come see her" he gave her to Anna who took one look at the girl and said "She looks like you."

Their much anticipated child, six years after the Shaman tournament had ended and all Yoh's friends and dispersed and disappeared from his life one by one, he finally had something to celebrate since his marriage to Anna and the opening of their Inn.

The child had very little hair and blue eyes, Yoh couldn't see how she looked anything like him but saw no reason to argue, he learned from a tender age that Anna was always right he wanted an easy life. "I guess she does" he said "She's beautiful, our daughter. What shall we call her?"

"I don't know" Anna said "I've only thought of boy names. You decide."

That was a first, Anna usually liked to be on top of everything, Yoh had just expected to leave the naming to her. But he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought of a few names himself. But which one to pick?

Then the little girl yawned and Yoh smiled, he knew which one he liked best "Hotaru" he said "It means firefly. What do you think?"

"Hotaru?" Anna repeated "Hmm" it'll do."

Yoh just grinned, because even though Anna's words were of disinterest, he didn't miss how she clutched her new daughter with a fierce hold that screamed of Anna's version of love.

As the first year went by and her hair and eyes turned dark brown, Yoh began to see what Anna meant by her looking like him. Hotaru was a quiet baby, she rarely cried and when she did it took forever to shut her up. It seemed only being held by her father would quieten her down. Because of this the family often slept in the same room. One night, Anna woke up, "Something's wrong" she said and leapt out of bed and flung the curtain open. She and Yoh almost fell back and the sheer magnitude of spirits that had congregated on their doorstep. "What the hell!" she gasped.

Yoh couldn't believe his eyes, it was like several graveyards had made a pilgrimage to his house "What are they all doing here!" he said.

"Why don't you go ask them!" she said and as she did Hotaru woke up, sniffling and crying. She sighed and picked up the fussy baby "And make it snappy, I don't want to see them here when I get back or so help me I will cast them all into the darkest hole imaginable" she snarled with an evil eye.

"Yes dear" Yoh said, smiling so as not to show how intimidated he was. It seemed amazing he was still with her after all this but believe it or not, he loved this part of her too.

"Best see what they want" he murmured and stept outside.

_"Concentrate Yoh" Amidamaru called "More Furioku!"_

_Yoh increased his power and attacked once more but Hao's spirit gripped him in its hand "He's got us!" Amidamaru said as Yoh gasped in pain._

_Hao laughed from the spirits shoulder "The king of spirits had yielded to me his ultimate power, which means that I am now the king, the king of all I desire!"_

_Yoh shook his head furiously "No! Whatever power you gained you took by force Hao, so don't kid yourself, you're not a king of anything, you're just a thief! The king of spirits is not a willing part of you, you may control his power but you don't have his heart!"_

_Hao looked surprise by his outburst for a moment, but then he smiled a smile with no real emotion "That doesn't matter. I have captured and contained the king of spirits like a wild animal and now he is tied to my being"_

_Yoh listened to his words with horror, Hao's eyes were completely empty, the concept of a heart was a foreign concept to him. Yoh remembered how empty and dark Hao's soul was when he had tried to absorb Yoh, so black and endless he almost forgot himself, nothing filled the space of his hear. There was no point trying to reason with someone so desolate and empty._

"Yoh, Yoh!"

Yoh awoke from his nightmare in a cold sweat, beside him his wife Anna frowned "I can't sleep with you moving about like that!" she scolded. He took in a deep breath "Sorry Anna, I guess I'm just not up to sleeping tonight"

"What did you dream about" she asked curtly, getting straight to the point.

Yoh smiled at her, in the past six years, nothing about her changed. Everything in his life was different, except Anna, she was the one constant thing he had left.

"It's been six years" he mused, getting out of bed and going to stand by the window, the moon was bright tonight "Six years since that final battle with Hao"

"You beat him in the fight Yoh" Anna reminded him "Yeah," he admitted "But I never would have if it weren't for everyone giving me their furioku in the final moment." He ran a hand though his long chocolate brown hair, it was almost as long as his had been.

"I don't get why you still think about that" Anna grumped "It's been so long already."

"You know" Yoh continued, not really listening, partly talking to himself "I don't think we ever did crown a shaman king, and I don't see the point, he will come back again. I don't know, I guess…you know Anna, a part of me didn't want to kill him. He was my brother after all-"

"He reincarnated as your brother, he could have just as easily been your cousin in truth he was a complete stranger, so don't be so dramatic"

"But he _was_ family. I just keep thinking about it. And now the rest of the family's convinced it's our responsibility to make sure he never rises to power again, but I don't think that's possible. They're completely obsessed with creating this super warrior, strong enough to reincarnate and be some kind of eternal thorn in his side, who is all well and good, if it didn't involve Hotaru." He said sadly, turning to the side where his two year old daughter slept soundly, completely unaware.

That night wasn't to be the last time a horde of sprits stalked their house. No matter how many times Anna banished them, more just kept coming back. Eventually they had to call the Asakura master mediums to deal with the problem and that's when they found out. The sprits were being drawn to a mass of unrestrained furioku, coming from their daughter. Hotaru was powerful, too powerful. Yoh wondered if the time spent bonded with Hao six years ago was the cause, but Hotaru had been born with almost the same amount of furioku as the original Asakura Hao in his older years. It was impossible but the evidence was in their undead stalkers.

Now the elders wanted to train her, they wanted to teach her all that Hao had learned, to have her find the power of reincarnation and become his eternal enemy. If it had been anyone else's daughter, Yoh would have understood their desperation, but not Hotaru.

"I don't know what to do; Hao is an empty vessel of pure hated. There's no talking to him, no reasoning with him. How can we ask our daughter to make him the reason for her whole existence?" he frowned "The worst part is we don't even have a choice, her furioku too strong. If we want any opportunity to seal it, then she will have to undergo the trials of Hao, his seals the only one strong enough. "Yoh slammed his fist against the wall in anger. Hotaru stirred, but did not wake.

Anna got out of bed and went to stand by her husband; he placed a hand on his shoulder and rested her forehead on his back "So" she said "What do you want to do?"

"I want her to have a life, I want to keep her away from him, I don't want Hotaru's entire existence to depend of Asakura Hao's, she's our daughter, so can't she just be that?"

Anna was quiet for what seemed like forever, then suddenly her hand tensed, as ig she had come to a firm decision "Alright" she said "Pack lightly" and then she turned to pick up Hotaru who yawned ad protested to being awoken.

Yoh whirled round in shock "What!"

"You heard me, if we leave now we can get enough distance for me to put up a barrier, their mediums shouldn't be able to find us then. She began to dress Hotaru.

Yoh came to stand by her "Anna, what are you saying?"

She looked at him with unwavering eyes "I'm saying, we're going to protect our daughter, just as you wanted."

**There's the prologue. I'm gonna say this right now, Hotaru is very powerful. But she'd not a mary-sue. She has her flaws.**

**Please Review, I'm deliberating whether or not to continue this story, I might until she meets Hao and see everyone's reaction first.**


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